Many years ago, my best friend Warren told me when he first came to Los Angeles, he parked his car on the street close to a theater (I can't remember the street or theater, sorry), and there was a limo a few yards away in front of his car, and a nice dressed woman stepped out of it and he realized it was Joan Crawford. He looked at her in awe and she looked at him and gave him a nice smile. She truly loved her fans. What a class act!
What are you yakking about? Joan was seen by many people being abusive to her daughter. Just because YOU"VE never been abused does not mean that it does not happen. A grown up adult looks beyond the façade.
Eric Brown-Bey: they were just concerned about her image-probably about how much money they could make from it. Anyway, what did Christina gain by lying. I believe her story
Jean Rhodes Cristina had already begun to write her book before Joan ‘s death. So she couldn’t know she would be left with nothing. Just because Joan was a great actress and we all agree on that doesn’t mean she was a great mother. With the kind of childhood she had and everything, she was a much unbalanced troubled soul. Lots of people were witnesses of what Cristina describes in the book. To a certain extent, I’m sure she would’ve loved to be perfect in every way, mother included, but she was a far cry from a decent mother for Cristina and Christopher. Her fans have to deal with this side of her.
They don't come more beautiful than her, she looked like a seraph and always glowed in front of the camera. She aged beautifully for many years, her middle-aged pictures are still very fashionable and don't betray her true age.I know this biography is a love letter, but its time for her to receive some love and kindness again. What I really appreciated the most is all the great footage, early screen tests of her dancing, and smaller films I had not seen, and now want to see. The film clip selections were very carefully chosen, really showing how great an actress she was, and they successively showed her getting better and better with each video clip. Her talent surpassed even her beauty.
Joan Crawford imo, was the machine for all the up and comers. Joan had more than just ambition, she had street smarts, stamina and was the BEST of the BEST!! Joan had the confidence to know everyone else paled in comparison, yet she took several young starlets under her wing and would impart her expertise onto to them, she was very self aware and knew what passion these young women craved, just as she did when she first started. I loved Joan's moxey and her sexy, not to mention her delicious evil persona when called upon...there will never be another like her, ever...Thanks so much for uploading. :)
Im so sure that if joan crawford were alive in 1996 she would had become very emotional about this beautiful and lenghtly documentary as she said in town hall in new york "i never knew there was so much love. very well deserved miss Crawford wherever you are now you know youre missed and 💘
As far as being a great star goes, Joan Crawford was one of the best. Those of us who remember the Hollywood, of yesteryears gone by, can attest to the fact that it died along with it's great stars. There are no longer the great films of their era. Which made stars bigger than life who were true Hollywood royalty. Unlike today.
Joan Crawford is one of my favourite female Hollywood actress from that Golden Years of movies. She was the epitome of glamour and beauty. A great movie screen actress and star that no one can equally match today. My best JC movies are Mildred Pierce and Autumn Leaves.
I adore her, she was reallly the greatest in her early years worked so hard etc. , a true pioneer indeed! One of a kind and still is one of the greatest Dames of all time, perfect! I believe her about C. Gable, they had great chemistry! I always liked him as well, he is also a true star like she is, they are Legends!
What a lady!!! Such talent and beauty !! There are millions n millions of stars but only a handful of legends and joan is definitely In the handful of legends thank you:-)
Joan Crawford was INDEED a STAR, like it or not. She VERY much worked harder at her movie career, than anyone else as well as she had done as an excellent businesswoman!
First doc I've seen with an interview with one of the twins. This is a nice one to watch if you feel your warm-fuzzy Joan feelings growing cold. I'm going to sit back and watch MP now.
It's a shame that most of the youths of today don't appreciate culture. They have little to no interest in classic movies, nor in the stars who worked so strenuously to produce these classics. They also lack education when it comes to their own history and they know nothing about basic geography either.
I admirer her for her work and the fact she came from nothing and made something out of her life.... having said that, I feel she was very hard on her children and expected them to be like her.... making it the hard way.
Man what a character! I'm sure she was probably strict with her kids, but I can't buy into what Christina wrote about her. She was and always will be the quintessential movie star.
And the other 3 children rebut her story. I do not believe Christina’s story. She was jealous of Joan and tried to act and could never make it. If Joan is so horrible why did christina continue to carry the Crawford name. She called Joan her adoptive parent not her mother but she sure didn’t mind continuing to ride the coat tails of her adoptive moms last name even after she married and divorced a few times over I might add
I think Mildred Pierce was Joan's best film, and Possessed (1947) was her best performance. She deserved that Oscar for Mildred Pierce, but it would have been awesome if she won a second Oscar for Possessed. Think she should have been nominated for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane in the Best Supporting Actress category.
I'm pretty sure she had a rough start in the movie industry. Back in those days, blue eyes and blonde hair was the "thing". But she remained elegant and pushed herself. I commend her on that. Screw Christina. All the photos of her seemed so envious. Her eyes said it all. I've become a newly huge fan of Joan. I think she was an extraordinary actress who hyped up all the movies she was ever in. Just took it to another level. Love ya, Joan =)
+Shay Grey And even in the later stage of her movie career, 'Trog', she was the professional and gave every project her best. Gotta respect that. She lost a lot of money, had to pay her last husband bills and debt, Pepsi dude, and never complained. Her children sounded terrible. She had issues. Don't we all. Namaste and care, mhikl
Red & Dark brown hair was the rage, the look of Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Theda Bara, Colleen Moore, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford was blonde, but it was not the rage. Jean Harlow started the Platinum Blonde craze in 1930, which set sales all across the world, to become a platinum blonde.
this bio also glosses over some things, like the fact that the first 'christopher' she adopted was illegally done, and he had to be returned to his birth mother soon after.
+Pamelina says It's one of, to an actor/actress. It's a HUGE honour to win something like that. I know that if I were as passionate with acting than I am with music, and won an Oscar, that would be super duper incredible! The greatest accomplishment of my career. She obviously can't say literally having a kid, although she's adopted, but knowing the blood, sweat, and tears she put into her work, it's well deserved for her to make a statement like that =)
Pamelina (what a horrible name!) says you! Joan & actors throughout time live for acceptance, love and recognition! What have you ever done or wanted so badly you'd ever work hard for?! Get a life, get a job!
Back in the '20's, she was kind of plump and apple-cheeked. A cameraman told her that the camera loved her face but that she had to lose weight. Right away, she had steak and grapefruit for breakfast and steak and tomatoes for lunch and dinner---so this was low-carb dieting before the term even became part of the vernacular. She would also jog to the studio. So she was really ahead of her time regarding dieting. She lost 20 pounds and everyone thought she had something done to her face like slitting her eyes open, but the dieting only opened up her marvelous bone-structure. She never regained the weight and stated that it was easier to maintain than to lose.
April Gosa you do realise a lot of adults of the era have confirmed her behaviour as a crap parent to the older two don't you?? The lovely June Allyson was one, it was an open secret in Hollywood, she wrote it out of distress, my mother idolised Joan inc her violent behaviour towards 2 of her 4 , Christina and Christopher were abused by Joan, accept it and get over it, go back to enjoying her films
My friend's grandmother knew the Crawford family and said Christina was telling the truth. What woman that allegedly loved her adopted kids wouldn't leave them a dime. Not one of them inherited anything.. nothing..nada..zip. All her assets, income and property was sold off for charity.
Toni G, That is inaccurate. The twins received a inheritance. It was Christina and Christopher that were cut out of the will, "for reasons that are known to them."
Remember Joan never had a stable upbringing and an unstable life cannot raise a stable child, can't give what u never had! She wasn't giving nothing and history repeats itself! Nobody on Earth is perfect in being perfect! She was a great actress an escape from her pain and being someone else helped her deal with life! All people have something that needs fixing! It's all so sad! We all have coping mechanisms! GOD understands people pain and died for their freedom in Christ!
She really did. She had a bond with Joan after her last husband died (Pepsi Co.). Diane helped give Joan confidence she was lacking at the time. Therefore, when the person who was chosen to play Joan's daughter in "Straight-Jacket" wasn't working out, Joan got the part for Diane Bakker, and that movie is sensational. I have it on dvd.
Have you have ever seen "Silence of the Lambs"? I was shocked to see Diane Baker turn up in a small but pivitol role as Sen. Ruth Martin. She held her own opposite Anthony Hopkins. I like "Strait-Jacket" very much. Both ladies give very emotional and convincing performances.
vistaestrada Yes, it's the first I had ever seen Diane in anything. And yes you're right about that, no doubt about it. Sometimes I don't know which one was better, that's how great they both were ! Cult Classic !
I could not BELIEVE the power of the performance she delivers to Walter Huston in "Rain". Bold-voiced and strong- just unrelentingly stark and desperate in her defense of herself- never allowing his scripture ranting, self-righteousness to intimidate her. Joan Crawford's interpretation of the "Femme Fatale" Sadie Thompson is a woman who- despite what she has become- demands your sympathy and understanding. She has suffered past pains that her accuser has never experienced; could not even know the meaning of. She may have been rightly judged by Rev. Davidson, but she openly states that she would rather be "on her way to hell" (the words of which were remarkably not censored) than be sharing the same boat with his religious hypocrisy and the god that governs it. Remember- this was filmed in 1931- during the Great Depression- a time in American history when millions of the nation's citizens looked MORE towards God as a guide and protector, not less or not at all. In addition, Americans- by comparison- have always tried to credit themselves as being morally superior- more "religious"- than people of other nations around them, though history has shown this belief to be by many standards, an untruth. In this brilliant cinematic moment, the non-conformist Thompson unabashingly proclaims her Atheism. Crawford may have been making a personal confession of her own in this scene, as well.
Mary Pickford put on such airs...she was the typical no-talent Canadian who had to come to the USA to make it in show business. Why we still embrace these types is beyond me...
I think it's perfectly reasonable to acknowledge that Joan was one of the greatest actresses of her time (maybe of all time) while perhaps (if the allegations are true or even partly true) being a troubled soul or a whack job. One does not negate the other.
I do like some Joan Crawford films like Mildred Pierce and one my of personal favorites a Woman's Face; (interesting film.....she had a very damaged one side of her face and I do think Crawford did a great job with that part). She did have drive but also a very sad childhood so not sure to make of other claims of Christina verses her other siblings; but abused children either learn from it and spoil their kids or become tyrants like the parent/parents they had. I maybe could hold more respect for Christina's view if she released her book while her mother was alive so she could have been given a chance, justified or not, to contest the claims. Anyway still love some of her movies and she was very attractive and photogenic.
I also remember reading "My Way Of Life," that book that Joan wrote 'way back in 1970--I was reading a library copy. She wrote that when she did "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", in that scene where Jane is starving Blanche, and Blanche goes through Jane's drawers to find any kind of food. In a drawer she finds a box of candies and starts stuffing her face desperately. Here's the scene What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - Blanche Knows In reality, those candies were meatballs--so here again goes Joan on her low-carb diet so she wouldn't gain weight with real candies. She also got down to a very low weight for her while doing the movie--I think it was about 110. She also wrote in that book that she learned to like what was good for her and learned to dislike what was bad for her (this included food, of course).
She was a true star and a hell of an actress she made her self a star she wanted it and there will never be another in her class i dont believe the kid stuff no way
her personal life cannot detract from her amazing performances and career , as her daughter Christina said. i think people start going crazier with this high level of perfectionist tendencies, as the years go on.maybe with the best actors, there is the extremity of either putting themselves throughout their life in different roles leading to frustration/emptiness (hence the NPD) or being extremely humble and obliterating your sense of self for the roles. it's hard to return to normal when u stretch urself so much for the roles. so maybe that's where the issue stems from? regardless a great actress.
Im. a. huge. fan. of. Joan. crawford. she. had. a. rough. childhood. and. that. created. anumber. of traumas. and. sad. events. thrughout. her. life she. was. a. fabulous Actress. and. for. the. record. abeautiful. human. being. l recommend. to allher. fans. to. read. the. latest. book where. donald. spoto. pile. up. enough. information. about. her loves. lives. and. good. deeds. and. that. could. untarnish. and. set. the. record. straight. what. a. great. human. being the. lady. was. God. bless. JOAN. THE. WORLD. NEEDS. MORE. PEOPLE. LIKE. HER!!!
Used to think the woman was a hag. Loved Bette Davis. Discovered Crawford paid a hollywood hospital a lot of loot to give free medical services to actors in need. And years later when the facts arose, denied them. She was a hungry lady who actually helped a lot of people. She had issues, but who doesn't. Davis was a witch, not much of an actor, but I still lover many of her movies. Now I am giving Joan a chance. Namaste and care, mhikl
Being that you are a female, no you don't. Back then, if you got married, you would be considered a property of your husband. Not to mention, you wouldn't be able to vote. And back then if a husband decided to rape his wife, that wasn't against the law.
I did kind of take notice watching this one more time, that Cindy (Crawford) Jordan seemed a tad uncomfortable with the interview part which some one below noticed. But I later read she had been suffering from kidney failure, of what killed her bio mother, and was involved in dialysis and she did died sadly young somewhere in her early 60s so that could explain some of that. She did seem sincere about her upbringing and her personal experiences.
I must disagree, Marilyn's childhood was sadder and more tragic than Joan's. At least Joan always had a parent, whether good or bad, Marilyn was in one foster home after another, and was emotionally and sexually abused throughout most of her adolescence.
I agree. When I first got into Joan, I thought maybe she did abuse them, but now that I've read more about her and watched numerous videos and bios, I now feel she didn't. I've watched Christina's interviews about the "abuse", and to me she seems to be very vague and a lot like a liar. She seems to have been jealous of her mother.
Yes, I agree completely. Christina was much too calm in the interviews for it to be real. She didn't seem to be upset at all, not the least little bit.
Yes, I'm sure it was. I know this may be changing the subject, but since you said Joan's childhood was more horrific than Marilyn's, may I asked what are your opinions on Marilyn Monroe? Please be kind. I'm a huge MM fan.
It seems she was a perfectionist. She likely had fears of what if becoming poor or other things. Her work was likely her life like it is for so many perfectionists but that doesn't mean she didn't love her kids. Perfectionist tend to expect others live up to their total best too. 6th grade education likely bothered her psychologically but she was certainly smart & perhaps she realized formal education has zero to do with IQ. She obviously did the right work in life since she never went without. I'm trying to see some of her films now. Of course, I saw cult classic Baby Jane but I'm looking at the films that made her a Star. I suspect her daughter made enemies in Hollywood on that book so she might have made a little money but she could have made more by having at least talked well about her mother imo. I don't buy into the beatings with wire-hangers. She probably had a temper though but many do. She had a lot of stress trying to please her fans, keep her body up while her art, raising kids, dealing with her lovers of given times then later Pepsi etc. Her last phone calls are online during her last days which is sad how that ends.
I have no doubt some abuse took place. Then again there are two sides to stories , and maybe Christina did it for attention...but there were some truths to her book I am sure.
It's a documented fact that Joan did indeed disinherit Cristina and Christopher (she left nothing for them in the will but gave the twins an equal amount of money). I have no doubt that some abuse occurred. And not that it matters, but Cindy's appearance her seemed very stiff and disingenuous.
I liked the film. I've the Faye one many times, of course. I saw twice the one narrated by Angelica Houston, too. I've seen many interview with her and read some quotations. I can safely say she was not normal, especially by 2015 standards. But when stars are normal? Look at Hemingway, look at Roosewelt. She had most probably done some abusive things to Christina but not that much. "Pass me the axe" Come on!! Anyway, I'll always remember couple of things from Joannie: "Who says life is fair?" said to her children. Her final words "Don't you dare asking God to forgive me" - I can't imagine how strong of a person would be to say this. "I need sex for cleer complexion but I'd rather do it for love." In the Houston documentary Cliff Robertson says how she would be the most prepared person on the set - she'd know everyone's lines, not just hers, she'd help carpenters. Bette was best in playing bitches. Joan could play equally well a victim and a bitch, and those in between. She was the first gay-friendly actress (re William Haines and his long-term "marriage") and despite the fact she's still loved by gays, they'd impersonate Marylin, or Bette, but never Joan.
I am not saying it did or did not these are just valid questions some of Joan's friends said some of it did happen these people say different again why not do when she was still alive
Wrong information - Joan Crawford did NOT want to do Rain. The Studio sent Joan out of town to film Rain (with stage actors) to keep her and Clark Gable apart because Gable was still married. She was given that role as punishment. The reviews were terrible. Joan was fantastic in the role... the stage actors seemed wooden and not believable.
+Scott Simpson She really was magical. Looking at just four of her great pictures: Autumn Leaves, Rain, Mildred Pierce and Grand Hotel, her emotional range was beyond what Davis was capable of. She really had the capacity to disappear into a role, while Davis often had almost catalog style glances and gestures. Crawford idolized Garbo and it shows. Davis was more like Katharine Hepburn, a superstar whose own personality mingled with the character's. Don't you think?
+infrantasi Yup. Davis had four emotions, snarl, clipped voice, I forget the other two. Still love her, too. Love old ladies that carry on. Fortitude. Namaste and care, mhikl
Im a huge fan of joan crawford when she was achild. she went through a lot of traumas and naturally it made her the tough lady she was,but her adopted daughter tarnished her image the public should read the last book about her good deeds and that would reveal the good human been that she was the book is named possessed by donald spoto read it
I don't believe Christina, I never have. Was Joan a perfect mother? No. If I wanted to I could spin horrible tales of my childhood so sound worse than it was. People that knew Christina described her as "cold", "aloof" and "calculating" as a child. I believe this was nothing more than a desperate cash grab on her part. Shameful what some people will do for fame and money. It's well documented that Joan loved men and the bottle (100 Proof Smirnoff to be exact) to excess, I don't buy that made her abusive tho.
Thank God, SOMEONE has finally said Crawford could neither sing nor dance well---and it's her friend and biographer, Bob Thomas! Her singing voice was flat and her attempts at dancing clunky and awkward, and yet her early films have her doing both. It seems that from the beginning, people feared telling Joan the truth, and Joan certainly didn't want to hear it. More than just a little sad. And poor Joan---Mary Pickford her role model of proper behavior...and Pickford was no rose, much less a role model for an insecure young girl eager to learn.
Dear Jeff: If her own friend and biographer had the moxie to say it and to write it, only the video/audio proof is needed to confirm it. To each, his own.
Joan Crawford was one heck of an actress! One of my favorites since I was a child.
Many years ago, my best friend Warren told me when he first came to Los Angeles, he parked his car on the street close to a theater (I can't remember the street or theater, sorry), and there was a limo a few yards away in front of his car, and a nice dressed woman stepped out of it and he realized it was Joan Crawford. He looked at her in awe and she looked at him and gave him a nice smile. She truly loved her fans. What a class act!
Nope. A 'class act" is not abusive to her adopted daughter.
What are you yakking about? Joan was seen by many people being abusive to her daughter. Just because YOU"VE never been abused does not mean that it does not happen. A grown up adult looks beyond the façade.
Lisa Marie Lund her other children say that Christina was lying.
Eric Brown-Bey: they were just concerned about her image-probably about how much money they could make from it. Anyway, what did Christina gain by lying. I believe her story
Jean Rhodes Cristina had already begun to write her book before Joan ‘s death. So she couldn’t know she would be left with nothing. Just because Joan was a great actress and we all agree on that doesn’t mean she was a great mother. With the kind of childhood she had and everything, she was a much unbalanced troubled soul. Lots of people were witnesses of what Cristina describes in the book. To a certain extent, I’m sure she would’ve loved to be perfect in every way, mother included, but she was a far cry from a decent mother for Cristina and Christopher. Her fans have to deal with this side of her.
The Ending!!!!!!!! The tears are coming down my face because this woman worked her ass off and deserved every bit of that applause.
They don't come more beautiful than her, she looked like a seraph and always glowed in front of the camera. She aged beautifully for many years, her middle-aged pictures are still very fashionable and don't betray her true age.I know this biography is a love letter, but its time for her to receive some love and kindness again. What I really appreciated the most is all the great footage, early screen tests of her dancing, and smaller films I had not seen, and now want to see. The film clip selections were very carefully chosen, really showing how great an actress she was, and they successively showed her getting better and better with each video clip. Her talent surpassed even her beauty.
Joan was stunning during the 30s during the grand hotel and Sadie McKee films. She was beautiful in Mildred pierce which I know was in 1945.
Leopold Leopold: nope! I don’t find her beautiful at all. It was all about her makeup
Joan Crawford imo, was the machine for all the up and comers. Joan had more than just ambition, she had street smarts, stamina and was the BEST of the BEST!! Joan had the confidence to know everyone else paled in comparison, yet she took several young starlets under her wing and would impart her expertise onto to them, she was very self aware and knew what passion these young women craved, just as she did when she first started. I loved Joan's moxey and her sexy, not to mention her delicious evil persona when called upon...there will never be another like her, ever...Thanks so much for uploading. :)
Im so sure that if joan crawford were alive in 1996 she would had become very emotional about this beautiful and lenghtly documentary as she said in town hall in new york "i never knew there was so much love. very well deserved miss Crawford wherever you are now you know youre missed and 💘
As far as being a great star goes, Joan Crawford was one of the best. Those of us who remember the Hollywood, of yesteryears gone by, can attest to the fact that it died along with it's great stars. There are no longer the great films of their era. Which made stars bigger than life who were true Hollywood royalty. Unlike today.
Joan Crawford is one of my favourite female Hollywood actress from that Golden Years of movies. She was the epitome of glamour and beauty. A great movie screen actress and star that no one can equally match today. My best JC movies are Mildred Pierce and Autumn Leaves.
A true Star. It's always so nice when I come across one of these shows. Thank you so much 💓
I adore her, she was reallly the greatest in her early years worked so hard etc. , a true pioneer indeed! One of a kind and still is one of the greatest Dames of all time, perfect!
I believe her about C. Gable, they had great chemistry! I always liked him as well, he is also a true star like she is, they are Legends!
She deserves more credit!
I've wanted to see this again for years, many thanks for sharing! Joan is the best!
Loved Mildred Pierce..... Still do and watch every time it comes on TCM
joan was brill dancing with fred astaire and i love Mildred pierce oddly i didn't think her job as a waitress that bad its a job 😊
Finally a documentary that is not about Joan that condemns her in her relationship with Christina Crawford! Refreshing!
I could listen to her talk all day.
To me she was THE most beautiful woman in the world
She resembles Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot".
WTF Hahahaha
What a lady!!! Such talent and beauty !! There are millions n millions of stars but only a handful of legends and joan is definitely In the handful of legends thank you:-)
surprised she didn't rank higher on the AFI top 25 female actresses of all times; she ranked 10th which is not bad. . .
Michael Francis, Get a grip man.
You tell him Joan! lol
Happy Birthday!! Joan Crawford 3/23/15... TCM is paying their respects with over 12 hrs of their favorite Joan Crawford movies today.....cheers Joan
Joan Crawford was INDEED a STAR, like it or not. She VERY much worked harder at her movie career, than anyone else as well as she had done as an excellent businesswoman!
pure legend
I've always been absesed with Joan Crawford and Bettie Davis! and I love old movies
I love her. She overcame so many obstacles. And what an actress!
Wow ... one of Hollywood's hardest working actress/movie stars in a male dominated world back then ... she proved it :-)
I love this woman 🤩
Me too!!
Joan Crawford might not think so but her best looking years was the 1940s. She was an absolute goddess.
She was fantastic and it was great in' Baby Jane '(1962) by Robert Aldrich. Deserved Yes to be nominee too in side of Bette Davis for Academy Awards !
Joan was a worker I'll give her that. You have to respect a worker. LAzy people suck.
To scrape yourself out of Texas poverty is quite a feat.Kudos to Joan.
Brooke Hanley u
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KILLER upload, thanks!!!
This is actually pretty fabulous. Thank you.
Thank you for this channel and your great FB page! You've done a marvelous job for all fans of Joan.
Fabulous documentary
Joan will always be my love...love from Greece..
First doc I've seen with an interview with one of the twins. This is a nice one to watch if you feel your warm-fuzzy Joan feelings growing cold. I'm going to sit back and watch MP now.
I own both Grand Hotel and Mildred Pierce starring Joan; Love both of these movie you can find them on Amazon
It's a shame that most of the youths of today don't appreciate culture. They have little to no interest in classic movies, nor in the stars who worked so strenuously to produce these classics. They also lack education when it comes to their own history and they know nothing about basic geography either.
I admirer her for her work and the fact she came from nothing and made something out of her life.... having said that, I feel she was very hard on her children and expected them to be like her.... making it the hard way.
I wish it was still 1996 when this was made. This day and age is a so evil. Anyway awesome documentary.
ReaLove Love can I ask what was so great about 1996?
@@greerchase9443 I guess they have no answer. Figures. The world is shit now but it was shit then too.
Legend. Love love love some Joan Crawford.
Diane Baker was so pretty; especially liked her in "Marnie" by Alfred Hitchcock. Great film.
She NEVER took her fane or fans for granted - she realised that without her fabs she was nothing. A true STAR they just don’t have stars now.
Thank .this when Biography still showed biographies!
Man what a character! I'm sure she was probably strict with her kids, but I can't buy into what Christina wrote about her. She was and always will be the quintessential movie star.
And the other 3 children rebut her story. I do not believe Christina’s story. She was jealous of Joan and tried to act and could never make it. If Joan is so horrible why did christina continue to carry the Crawford name. She called Joan her adoptive parent not her mother but she sure didn’t mind continuing to ride the coat tails of her adoptive moms last name even after she married and divorced a few times over I might add
I love my Dolly Parton and Joan Crawford both became world legends!
I love Joan Crawford! And she is my birthday twin.
An Aries she was, dynamic,vulnerable, angry and a woman to be reckoned with.
Good doc. THANX.
I thought Crawford was magnificent in "Rain" (I know the critics didn't like it), and though not her biggest role I also liked her in "The Unknown."
I think Mildred Pierce was Joan's best film, and Possessed (1947) was her best performance.
She deserved that Oscar for Mildred Pierce, but it would have been awesome if she won a second Oscar for Possessed.
Think she should have been nominated for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane in the Best Supporting Actress category.
mattbernabe YES YES YES!!! To me Possessed (My favorite all time JC movie) and Sudden Fear were her best roles.
I'm pretty sure she had a rough start in the movie industry. Back in those days, blue eyes and blonde hair was the "thing". But she remained elegant and pushed herself. I commend her on that. Screw Christina. All the photos of her seemed so envious. Her eyes said it all. I've become a newly huge fan of Joan. I think she was an extraordinary actress who hyped up all the movies she was ever in. Just took it to another level. Love ya, Joan =)
+Shay Grey
And even in the later stage of her movie career, 'Trog', she was the professional and gave every project her best. Gotta respect that. She lost a lot of money, had to pay her last husband bills and debt, Pepsi dude, and never complained.
Her children sounded terrible. She had issues. Don't we all.
Namaste and care,
mhikl
Red & Dark brown hair was the rage, the look of Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Theda Bara, Colleen Moore, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford was blonde, but it was not the rage. Jean Harlow started the Platinum Blonde craze in 1930, which set sales all across the world, to become a platinum blonde.
Lady Diana: they all do that
What a beauty. She was a great performer.
Watch Joan on "The Lucy Show'. Fun episode. Joan steals the show. Available on youtube.
Link?
Jerry Flo and she was also drunk asf on the Lucy set.
Richard Myers Heard Lucy made Joan Crawford cry. Lucy apparently was a task master to all of her guest stars.
Autumn leaves my favourite
this bio also glosses over some things, like the fact that the first 'christopher' she adopted was illegally done, and he had to be returned to his birth mother soon after.
Moni most of the adoptions I'm familiar with ... newborn adoptions ... involve some very messed up people. in particular ...the adoptive mothers.
It wasn't so much of it being illegal, but it was due to the birth mother wanting her baby back and took Joan to court.
I don't think receiving an Oscar is the greatest emotional experience in life.
+Pamelina says It's one of, to an actor/actress. It's a HUGE honour to win something like that. I know that if I were as passionate with acting than I am with music, and won an Oscar, that would be super duper incredible! The greatest accomplishment of my career. She obviously can't say literally having a kid, although she's adopted, but knowing the blood, sweat, and tears she put into her work, it's well deserved for her to make a statement like that =)
An award is great in the small picture of life
Pamelina (what a horrible name!) says you! Joan & actors throughout time live for acceptance, love and recognition! What have you ever done or wanted so badly you'd ever work hard for?! Get a life, get a job!
Such a beautiful ending.
Back in the '20's, she was kind of plump and apple-cheeked. A cameraman told her that the camera loved her face but that she had to lose weight. Right away, she had steak and grapefruit for breakfast and steak and tomatoes for lunch and dinner---so this was low-carb dieting before the term even became part of the vernacular. She would also jog to the studio. So she was really ahead of her time regarding dieting. She lost 20 pounds and everyone thought she had something done to her face like slitting her eyes open, but the dieting only opened up her marvelous bone-structure. She never regained the weight and stated that it was easier to maintain than to lose.
Clark Gable one one of the few men in Joan's life that Joan could not dominate......
Why did she wait till after Joan died if its true you got nothing to worry about
April Gosa i
April Gosa you do realise a lot of adults of the era have confirmed her behaviour as a crap parent to the older two don't you?? The lovely June Allyson was one, it was an open secret in Hollywood, she wrote it out of distress, my mother idolised Joan inc her violent behaviour towards 2 of her 4 , Christina and Christopher were abused by Joan, accept it and get over it, go back to enjoying her films
My friend's grandmother knew the Crawford family and said Christina was telling the truth. What woman that allegedly loved her adopted kids wouldn't leave them a dime. Not one of them inherited anything.. nothing..nada..zip. All her assets, income and property was sold off for charity.
well up to her , they might mot work and have drive if she left anything unless they couldn't
Toni G, That is inaccurate. The twins received a inheritance. It was Christina and Christopher that were cut out of the will, "for reasons that are known to them."
Remember Joan never had a stable upbringing and an unstable life cannot raise a stable child, can't give what u never had! She wasn't giving nothing and history repeats itself! Nobody on Earth is perfect in being perfect! She was a great actress an escape from her pain and being someone else helped her deal with life! All people have something that needs fixing! It's all so sad! We all have coping mechanisms! GOD understands people pain and died for their freedom in Christ!
Diane Baker really blossomed into a very classy, stylish, and attractive woman.
She really did. She had a bond with Joan after her last husband died (Pepsi Co.). Diane helped give Joan confidence she was lacking at the time. Therefore, when the person who was chosen to play Joan's daughter in "Straight-Jacket" wasn't working out, Joan got the part for Diane Bakker, and that movie is sensational. I have it on dvd.
Have you have ever seen "Silence of the Lambs"? I was shocked to see Diane Baker turn up in a small but pivitol role as Sen. Ruth Martin. She held her own opposite Anthony Hopkins. I like "Strait-Jacket" very much. Both ladies give very emotional and convincing performances.
vistaestrada Yes, it's the first I had ever seen Diane in anything. And yes you're right about that, no doubt about it. Sometimes I don't know which one was better, that's how great they both were ! Cult Classic !
Check her out in strange cargo fantastic!
I had no idea Crawford was so short. Always figured she would be taller. Guess it was her commanding presence.
Never knew either.
I could not BELIEVE the power of the performance she delivers to Walter Huston in "Rain". Bold-voiced and strong- just unrelentingly stark and desperate in her defense of herself- never allowing his scripture ranting, self-righteousness to intimidate her. Joan Crawford's interpretation of the "Femme Fatale" Sadie Thompson is a woman who- despite what she has become- demands your sympathy and understanding. She has suffered past pains that her accuser has never experienced; could not even know the meaning of. She may have been rightly judged by Rev. Davidson, but she openly states that she would rather be "on her way to hell" (the words of which were remarkably not censored) than be sharing the same boat with his religious hypocrisy and the god that governs it. Remember- this was filmed in 1931- during the Great Depression- a time in American history when millions of the nation's citizens looked MORE towards God as a guide and protector, not less or not at all. In addition, Americans- by comparison- have always tried to credit themselves as being morally superior- more "religious"- than people of other nations around them, though history has shown this belief to be by many standards, an untruth. In this brilliant cinematic moment, the non-conformist Thompson unabashingly proclaims her Atheism. Crawford may have been making a personal confession of her own in this scene, as well.
Mary Pickford put on such airs...she was the typical no-talent Canadian who had to come to the USA to make it in show business. Why we still embrace these types is beyond me...
Joan Crawford,one of the greatest movie stars ever , second to no one and better than all of the movie star actresses today
I think it's perfectly reasonable to acknowledge that Joan was one of the greatest actresses of her time (maybe of all time) while perhaps (if the allegations are true or even partly true) being a troubled soul or a whack job. One does not negate the other.
I do like some Joan Crawford films like Mildred Pierce and one my of personal favorites a Woman's Face; (interesting film.....she had a very damaged one side of her face and I do think Crawford did a great job with that part). She did have drive but also a very sad childhood so not sure to make of other claims of Christina verses her other siblings; but abused children either learn from it and spoil their kids or become tyrants like the parent/parents they had. I maybe could hold more respect for Christina's view if she released her book while her mother was alive so she could have been given a chance, justified or not, to contest the claims. Anyway still love some of her movies and she was very attractive and photogenic.
I also remember reading "My Way Of Life," that book that Joan wrote 'way back in 1970--I was reading a library copy. She wrote that when she did "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", in that scene where Jane is starving Blanche, and Blanche goes through Jane's drawers to find any kind of food. In a drawer she finds a box of candies and starts stuffing her face desperately. Here's the scene What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - Blanche Knows In reality, those candies were meatballs--so here again goes Joan on her low-carb diet so she wouldn't gain weight with real candies. She also got down to a very low weight for her while doing the movie--I think it was about 110.
She also wrote in that book that she learned to like what was good for her and learned to dislike what was bad for her (this included food, of course).
does that include the packs of cigarettes she smoked every day. yeh those were good for her
douglas mclee What can I say? It was a different era.
Not to mention the 100 proof vodka she drank like water. I don't think either cigs or vodka are in the Christian Science canon.
"They were equals". Proceeds to smack her on bum. She says "thank you". What men perceive as equality, adorable.
She got her dark look from her father who was French Canadian, his name is
Thomas Lesueur and her real name Lucille Lesueur. I read her biography.
She was a true star and a hell of an actress she made her self a star she wanted it and there will never be another in her class i dont believe the kid stuff no way
We share the same Birthday ❤
Sooo could she dance or could she not? I heard two conflicting statements about her abilities to dance.
Nice.
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her personal life cannot detract from her amazing performances and career , as her daughter Christina said. i think people start going crazier with this high level of perfectionist tendencies, as the years go on.maybe with the best actors, there is the extremity of either putting themselves throughout their life in different roles leading to frustration/emptiness (hence the NPD) or being extremely humble and obliterating your sense of self for the roles. it's hard to return to normal when u stretch urself so much for the roles. so maybe that's where the issue stems from? regardless a great actress.
Acting in the depression must have been difficult. These days hollywood almost shut down
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was sure handsome when Joan married him.
Im. a. huge. fan. of. Joan. crawford. she. had. a. rough. childhood. and. that. created. anumber. of traumas. and. sad. events. thrughout. her. life she. was. a. fabulous Actress. and. for. the. record. abeautiful. human. being. l recommend. to allher. fans. to. read. the. latest. book where. donald. spoto. pile. up. enough. information. about. her loves. lives. and. good. deeds. and. that. could. untarnish. and. set. the. record. straight. what. a. great. human. being the. lady. was. God. bless. JOAN. THE. WORLD. NEEDS. MORE. PEOPLE. LIKE. HER!!!
Used to think the woman was a hag. Loved Bette Davis.
Discovered Crawford paid a hollywood hospital a lot of loot to give free medical services to actors in need. And years later when the facts arose, denied them.
She was a hungry lady who actually helped a lot of people. She had issues, but who doesn't.
Davis was a witch, not much of an actor, but I still lover many of her movies. Now I am giving Joan a chance.
Namaste and care,
mhikl
I didnt know her as much
she looks so much like young Sigourney Weaver in the first shot.
hi. do you have that other documentary "The Ultimate Movie Star"? I think its the best doc about Joan but I can't find it anywhere.
Wish I was born in the 1920s
Being that you are a female, no you don't. Back then, if you got married, you would be considered a property of your husband. Not to mention, you wouldn't be able to vote. And back then if a husband decided to rape his wife, that wasn't against the law.
I did kind of take notice watching this one more time, that Cindy (Crawford) Jordan seemed a tad uncomfortable with the interview part which some one below noticed. But I later read she had been suffering from kidney failure, of what killed her bio mother, and was involved in dialysis and she did died sadly young somewhere in her early 60s so that could explain some of that. She did seem sincere about her upbringing and her personal experiences.
I must disagree, Marilyn's childhood was sadder and more tragic than Joan's. At least Joan always had a parent, whether good or bad, Marilyn was in one foster home after another, and was emotionally and sexually abused throughout most of her adolescence.
Some have said Joan was abused too. But I agree Marilyn's was much sadder.
So, do you believe Joan abused her children? I don't think she did.
I agree. When I first got into Joan, I thought maybe she did abuse them, but now that I've read more about her and watched numerous videos and bios, I now feel she didn't. I've watched Christina's interviews about the "abuse", and to me she seems to be very vague and a lot like a liar. She seems to have been jealous of her mother.
Yes, I agree completely. Christina was much too calm in the interviews for it to be real. She didn't seem to be upset at all, not the least little bit.
Yes, I'm sure it was. I know this may be changing the subject, but since you said Joan's childhood was more horrific than Marilyn's, may I asked what are your opinions on Marilyn Monroe? Please be kind. I'm a huge MM fan.
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I am related to her no joke my great granny said so and she is on my family tree
Then you'd know her real name isn't Joan Crawford right?
It seems she was a perfectionist. She likely had fears of what if becoming poor or other things. Her work was likely her life like it is for so many perfectionists but that doesn't mean she didn't love her kids. Perfectionist tend to expect others live up to their total best too. 6th grade education likely bothered her psychologically but she was certainly smart & perhaps she realized formal education has zero to do with IQ. She obviously did the right work in life since she never went without.
I'm trying to see some of her films now. Of course, I saw cult classic Baby Jane but I'm looking at the films that made her a Star. I suspect her daughter made enemies in Hollywood on that book so she might have made a little money but she could have made more by having at least talked well about her mother imo. I don't buy into the beatings with wire-hangers. She probably had a temper though but many do. She had a lot of stress trying to please her fans, keep her body up while her art, raising kids, dealing with her lovers of given times then later Pepsi etc. Her last phone calls are online during her last days which is sad how that ends.
I have no doubt some abuse took place. Then again there are two sides to stories , and maybe Christina did it for attention...but there were some truths to her book I am sure.
Maybe Joan was abusive to Christina and then she change many years latter when the twins where born
It's a documented fact that Joan did indeed disinherit Cristina and Christopher (she left nothing for them in the will but gave the twins an equal amount of money). I have no doubt that some abuse occurred. And not that it matters, but Cindy's appearance her seemed very stiff and disingenuous.
I believed her. My own personal experience tells me that not one word was an exaggeration
Yeah i have the same experience with my father!
Juanita Richards Your actual experience of abuse validates the credibility of every other abuse 'victim'? . Interesting logic
i was born the year this was made
I liked the film. I've the Faye one many times, of course. I saw twice the one narrated by Angelica Houston, too. I've seen many interview with her and read some quotations. I can safely say she was not normal, especially by 2015 standards. But when stars are normal? Look at Hemingway, look at Roosewelt. She had most probably done some abusive things to Christina but not that much. "Pass me the axe" Come on!! Anyway, I'll always remember couple of things from Joannie: "Who says life is fair?" said to her children. Her final words "Don't you dare asking God to forgive me" - I can't imagine how strong of a person would be to say this. "I need sex for cleer complexion but I'd rather do it for love." In the Houston documentary Cliff Robertson says how she would be the most prepared person on the set - she'd know everyone's lines, not just hers, she'd help carpenters. Bette was best in playing bitches. Joan could play equally well a victim and a bitch, and those in between. She was the first gay-friendly actress (re William Haines and his long-term "marriage") and despite the fact she's still loved by gays, they'd impersonate Marylin, or Bette, but never Joan.
She was the Madonna of her day. Except she had acting talent.
"Ben Cooper" Is So Handsome
I Wish I Was Married To Him.
Elizabeth Haman
After watching this i think maybe just maybe Christina was Jealous much like Bette Davis's daughter B.D
I am not saying it did or did not these are just valid questions some of Joan's friends said some of it did happen these people say different again why not do when she was still alive
Wrong information - Joan Crawford did NOT want to do Rain. The Studio sent Joan out of town to film Rain (with stage actors) to keep her and Clark Gable apart because Gable was still married. She was given that role as punishment. The reviews were terrible. Joan was fantastic in the role... the stage actors seemed wooden and not believable.
+Scott Simpson She really was magical. Looking at just four of her great pictures: Autumn Leaves, Rain, Mildred Pierce and Grand Hotel, her emotional range was beyond what Davis was capable of. She really had the capacity to disappear into a role, while Davis often had almost catalog style glances and gestures. Crawford idolized Garbo and it shows. Davis was more like Katharine Hepburn, a superstar whose own personality mingled with the character's. Don't you think?
+infrantasi
Yup.
Davis had four emotions, snarl, clipped voice, I forget the other two.
Still love her, too. Love old ladies that carry on. Fortitude.
Namaste and care,
mhikl
Im a huge fan of joan crawford when she was achild. she went through a lot of traumas and naturally it made her the tough lady she was,but her adopted daughter tarnished her image the public should read the last book about her good deeds and that would reveal the good human been that she was the book is named possessed by donald spoto read it
I don't believe Christina, I never have. Was Joan a perfect mother? No. If I wanted to I could spin horrible tales of my childhood so sound worse than it was. People that knew Christina described her as "cold", "aloof" and "calculating" as a child. I believe this was nothing more than a desperate cash grab on her part. Shameful what some people will do for fame and money. It's well documented that Joan loved men and the bottle (100 Proof Smirnoff to be exact) to excess, I don't buy that made her abusive tho.
chasenip2
Thank God, SOMEONE has finally said Crawford could neither sing nor dance well---and it's her friend and biographer, Bob Thomas! Her singing voice was flat and her attempts at dancing clunky and awkward, and yet her early films have her doing both. It seems that from the beginning, people feared telling Joan the truth, and Joan certainly didn't want to hear it. More than just a little sad. And poor Joan---Mary Pickford her role model of proper behavior...and Pickford was no rose, much less a role model for an insecure young girl eager to learn.
Dear Jeff: If her own friend and biographer had the moxie to say it and to write it, only the video/audio proof is needed to confirm it. To each, his own.